Sales Progress Continues to Elude Ciena

Tech investors hoping to see sales momentum shouldn't hold their collective breath for Ciena's (CIEN Quote) Thursday morning comments.

The networking gearmaker has shown steady improvement of late, riding its unusual acquire-through-the-dark-days strategy. But demand for new equipment remains stubbornly soft as phone companies continue to make do with less. And that could mean some setbacks in coming quarters for the Linthicum, Md., company.

Most analysts expect Ciena to hit fiscal third-quarter targets Thursday, so the question on Wall Street is what execs will say about the rest of the year. Bulls have grown more voluble in recent days about the prospect of hopeful guidance. But one industry watcher warns that investors' wishes, however fervent, won't necessarily make it so. ...